Ambition
by HunterofArtemis32
Summary: Percy Jackson, a twenty-one year old pilot gets in a unexpected accident, and with the help of his nurse, Annabeth Chase, starts realizing what he's been missing. But when he misses soaring through the air, will he go back into flying or stay with her?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey fans... I got this idea while watching the best movie ever: Pearl Harbor! I love the movie especially since it has my favorite two actors; Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. **

**Anyways, I wanted to try something new since I have never seen a story like this before on FanFiction. I thought I would bring a new idea onto the site. It is Percy's POV soo... yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

The warmth from the sun's glare was seaping through the windows as I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings. I wasn't aware of the fact I was in a hostipal room until I saw the blood.

**FIVE HOURS EARLIER**

I smirked as I brought the plane down lower. I was in training, but it felt like I was in action. I was playing a decent little game called 'Run the Plane Over'. My friends and I made it up one afternoon. I turned the plane around my friend, G-man, we called him. His plane went down low and almost smashed into the water if he didn't pull himself up.

I laughed, but I was caught back into my senses as I saw Luke making his way towards me. I turned on my head piece and chuckled as I talked.

"What are you trying do to?" I asked. "Are you gonna try to run me over?"

Luke laughed into his head piece. "What? Are you afraid of a little competition, Perseus?"

"I'm not afraid since I always win." I said with a sarcastic tone involved.

He chuckled, turning his plane towards me. I kept my eyes on him and the plane that appeared in the back of me. "Don't get too cocky yet, Jackson."

"Bring it, Castellan." I threatened turning on my high gears. My lights appeared as I pressed the button to soar me even higher than before.

I smirked as I flew right pass Luke and his little gang of attackers. He cursed loudly into the speaker and tried to catch up with me, but I flipped sideways and began my journey back where this all began. Luke was fighting with the gears as I flew up beside him and gave him a little two-finger salute. He flipped me off and I chuckled, switching my hands to different order of operations.

I grabbed the main controller as I began to swirve around Grover, Nico, and Luke were all hanging out. It was three against one. That's the way to play fair.

Grover spoke into the headpiece, "Perce! Are you giving up or taking a chance?"

I let a grin break on my face. "You know me, G-man."

"Then let's play dirty, Jackson." Nico said into the speaker.

I let a evil chuckle slip my lips, reaching up to turn on my speed boosters. I only used them whenever we had this game or maybe if this turning into something else. I spun around, making my way towards the three enemies.

The plane's gears were sometime confusing with dyslexia, but with the ADHD, flying was the fun to do with the constant moving and yelling. I grabbed the main gears and brought my plane lower than theirs. These planes were made for stuff like this. We weren't actually in the war; we were trained and we would soar through the free air over my dad's land. He bought it with the extra money he had from his building. I never really cared about it and didn't pay attention to anything he said about the building, so I couldn't tell you what it's about, now can I?

I noticed Nico's plane in the distance and I began my journery to attack him first. I brought the plane lower and made sure he couldn't see me in the background. I flipped on the main gun and began shooting towards his direction. I heard him curse in the speaker as the bullets shot through the glass. I chuckled, but it soon disappeared as Luke appeared in my rear-view mirror.

I cursed silently and made the plane spin around. I yelled as I heard the gunshots reflecting my plane's outer shell. I fixed the gears and I went forwards towards the clouds. I shouted as I soared lower, getting closer to Luke's plane.

We were very competitive during this sort of thing.

He shouted and moved his plane the very second I began shooting at him. I sighed and wiped the sweat off my forehead as I began my next battle station. Grover flew below me and I was surprised the man could drive a plane so well.

I let my hands off the gears and wheel as I made my way towards the water. I finally grabbed them at the last minute, and brought the plane up and began to shoot. Grover shouted into the speaker as gunshots appeared on my plane.

I turned my speaker on. "What the heck is going on? Why'd you guys-"

"Percy! We need your help!" Nico yelled. "Other planes are here! The war planes are here!"

Luke screamed into the speaker. "Percy! Seriously, help!"

I grabbed my controller's and brought the huge plane into the battle scene. I turned on the main gears and made them stay to where they could possibly be help. Grover, Nico, and Luke couldn't handle it themselves so I flipped on the switch that had my worst guns possible. I shot them at the target and one plane went down into the water.

"There's the Percy I know!" Grover yelled into the head piece.

I yelled, "No time for small-talk! Look out!"

The enemy's gun started to shoot at me, but I sharply turned around at the last second and it hit the other plane where the enemy was surprised to see. I laughed as the two other planes that Nico distracted crashed into each other. Luke and I flew side by side as we regained our strength for the next part.

Nico flew in next to me. "How come they are here? It's your dad's private beach, island thing- whatever!"

"I don't know! Why don't you ask my dad after- AAAHHH!" I shouted as the enemy's plane drove right into the middle of us.

We all screamed as we regained the control of our planes before the enemy could attack us at the heart. I cursed under my breath and grabbed the main gears.

"You want to have fun? Here comes fun." I said flying towards the enemy.

I then brought the plane lower so I could get better aim. As the enemy plane drawn closer, I flipped over and started to shoot upside down. A few gunshots hit the plane's outer shell, but nothing damaged.

"Percy, Percy! I'm hit!" Grover shouted into the speaker. "Luke! Ni-

I turned to look over and saw Grover's plane sinking down into the water. I watched as the plane drove right into the water and the glass shattered where Grover was sitting. He looked all right, for what I could see from the air. You could never see the ground that well.

I became furious and flew the plane between two enemy planes. They followed me as I distracted them from Nico and Luke. I soared through the air as fast as I could, flying a thousand pound war plane in the sky.

The enemy followed after me and I could see them in my rear-view mirror. I turned the plane around at the moment, and turned sideways so the enemy could get confused. I soared towards Nico- my little cousin- as he had three planes attacking him. I began shooting my best at the enemy and one plane got shot down. Luke came beside me and started to shoot.

I lost all concentration though when I felt gunshots on my baby. I flipped the plane around as I distracted the two planes. The enemy was laughing in his window seat and I smirked, shooting at the glass. The glass shattered and the enemy got shot in the neck and the plane went down into the water. I cheered, but then got back to business. I still had one on me.

Luke soared in front of me with one plane on him. Nico was beside me, trying to interfere with the situation, but he got occupied with two other planes. I pulled the controller closer to my chest, flying me up higher into the sky. I then took the chance and let go, flipping on the gun switch. Bullets flew out in front of me and the enemy wasn't ready so he went down with no other fight.

I turned on my head piece and smiled. "Are we done yet, boys?"

"Yeah, I guess so- Percy, look out!" Nico yelled.

I didn't have enough to react and felt the bullets hit the glass of my window protection. I covered my head as I tried to fly. It didn't work. I kept getting shot by one last plane. I heard a loud booming sound and fire started to form around my wings.

I tried breaking the glass out the top, but I was buckled in. I un-fastened my seat belt and used my elbow to break the glass. Oh come on! I sat back down, trying to figure out what to do. The enemy hit me again and I felt myself dropping lower towards the water.

I grabbed the controllers, trying to bring myself back up again. I looked ahead and Luke was taking care of the enemy plane. I didn't see anything else as my plane dove right into the water.

The water took over my senses as I kept trying to break the glass. I finally broke it and tried to swim out, but my leg was caught on the wire that ran through the database of the plane. It was connected to my head piece so I threw that off my head. I got my leg free, but screamed as best I could as the wire ripped pieces of skin off. The blood began to flow as I swam towards the surface.

But as I swam, a large piece of the plane came splashing into the water and hit my head, knocking the wind right of me.

**PRESENT TIME**

I looked around the hostipal room, seeing other patients lying on the beds. I was the only one awake though, and nurses were checking the patients charts. My eyes caught the IV in my arm and I breathed out deeply. I realized I was lying on a bed, with a white sheet covering my waist and below, and my chest bare. The hostipal room was silent besides the fact that nurses were softly speaking and other patients were sleeping.

I reached my hand up and rubbed my eyes with my knuckle. I pinched the bridge of my nose to make sure it wasn't all a dream. I was facing reality right now. I looked over to my right and saw a beautiful woman standing with her back to me. She wore a nurse's outfit and what it looked like, she was filling out my chart.

"Miss...?" I asked, my voice breaking.

She turned around and if I wasn't already hurt, I would of been. She had beautiful golden, blonde hair that went to the end of her shoulders and had stormy grey eyes. She wore no make-up and her natural look made her look even more beautiful. She wore a nurse's outfit, but she had nice curves. She had a tan of what I could see and she almost looked like a California girl, but those eyes made her look original. A smile broke onto her face.

"Looks like the dead man lives." she joked turning her head to look at my heart monitor. It was slightly speeding up and I think it was because of her.

I gave her a small smile. "How long have I been out?"

"Five hours, it seems. You were flying over your dad's private beach and the enemy attacked you from behind. Is that correct?" she asked putting the tip of her pen in her mouth.

I blinked rapidly and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I suppose so. I don't really remember. It's sort of a blur."

"The medicine will sometimes do that to you. It helps you suffer the pain though, so that's the best part." she explained. "I'll be right back. I have to give your chart to the doctor."

Before she walked away, I grabbed her hand. "What's your name, Miss?"

"Annabeth." she answered with a smile. "Annabeth Chase."

**And this is the beginning of a fabulous new story? Whatcha think?**

**I think I did pretty well on the fight and plane scenes. It's very hard trying to describe what they're doing and to get the right words for them. **

**Review! I would really like to continue this. I enjoyed writing it. I love action!**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone. **

**I got the same question in some reviews about what timing the story takes place in; it takes place in modern day, unless you guys want it in 1941 where Pearl Harbor happened. It doesn't really matter to me, so just tell me if you want it modern or not. **

**All right, let's get down to business. Enjoy the second chapter.**

I waited for the nurse to return to my hostipal bed, but I was worried about my friends. Nico was only seventeen and he just finished training. Grover has been flying for two years, but Luke and I both have been flying since we were fifteen. We didn't get trained until we were seventeen and we joined the U.S. Navy when we were nineteen. I was worried about my best friends and my little cousin who I promised his mother I would watch over him since she's over-protective.

I felt extremely guilty and bad by the time the nurse, who went by the name Annabeth, came back over with a smile on her face. It disappeared when she saw mine though.

Annabeth placed her hand on my forehead, mouthing her lips. She was counting by twos. I watched her as she continued. "You don't have a fever. Any stomach aches or pain symptoms?"

"Only in the chest." I answered truthfully. I looked around the hostipal room and saw no sign of my friends. "Do you have any idea where my friends and cousin is?"

"Names...?" she asked.

I licked my lips and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Um... Nico Di'Angelo, Grover Underwood, and Luke Castellan."

Annabeth checked the chart and flipped the page over. She looked up to me and bit her lip. "Mr. Undewood is under recovering surgery, but Mr. Castellan or Di'Angelo isn't in. Are you sure you got the names right?"

"I'm know I do!" I yelled feeling my anger take over me. "I just want to know where my cousin is! I was suppose to take care of him! I was suppose to watch over him!"

Annabeth ran over and placed her hands on my chest. "Shh, shh. Calm down or you'll burst your stitches."

"I don't freaking care about my stitches! Just find my cousin!" I shouted feeling the pain getting worse in my chest. I looked at the beautiful woman in front of me and I could see in her eyes that she wanted to help me, but she was terrified. "Please, just find him. I can't- I just can't-"

"Shh, shh. I'll check the computer again. Just promise me to calm down." Annabeth whispered running her hands through my hair.

I felt the anger and pain die down. She gave me a small smile and her grey eyes sparkled. I watched as she searched through the computer and checked the chart over and over again. She turned around and she was smiling.

"Well, it looks like your cousin and your friend is actually safe and sound. They are in the computer, but I guess they got out with no fatal injuries. The doctor sent me a note saying that two pilots got safely in the attack you and Mr. Underwood were in." Annabeth explained.

I sighed, feeling the pain subside. "Thank you, Ms. Chase."

"Oh, please just call me Annabeth." she smiled. "It makes me feel old."

I grinned. "Well, you are no where close to old. If you were, you are the most beautiful old person I've ever known."

Annabeth blushed lightly, and looked back down to my chart. "There's nothing on here about you being handsome and a comedian."

"Well, it just comes and goes." I said.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed something from the tray that was next to my bed. I watched wide-eyed as she pushed the sharp needle into my arm, stinging me in the process. I hissed as the pain went through my arm and cursed out loud as she pulled it out. Annabeth just smiled as she placed the bandage on the spot, and I reached over, rubbing the spot myself. I didn't get hurt, but I hated needles.

She gave a small laugh. "Are you sure you can survive a little needle, Mr. Perseus Jackson?"

"Percy." I corrected quickly. "I don't like being called by my full name."

Annabeth laughed and kept checking some boxes that she knew the answers to. "Okay, what is your date of birth?"

"August eighteenth." I answered.

"All right." she wrote it on the chart. "Are you allergic to any medicines?"

I thought for a minute. "Nope."

"Okay... Any kids?" she asked.

"Nope. Never been married, never been in a full relationship to have any." I answered.

Annabeth looked up at me. "I didn't need all that information."

I silenced and she sighed, tapping her pen against the chart. She typed something into the computer and my page came up. She made a small noise and wrote it down in a box. I watched as she walked away, handing the chart to the doctor. He smiled at her and turned to his other patient, lying on a bed with his leg hanging up in a cast.

Annabeth walked over to another patient and pressed her hand against his forehead. She mouthed the numbers again, and turned to write it down on his chart. She took a moment and walked back over to me as a nurse came over and told her something. Annabeth just scoffed and came to my side.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

She turned around and reached above me, fixing my IV package with the water inside. "He asked for a nurse so I decided to help."

"What that nurse tell you?"

Annabeth brought her hands down and her grey eyes stared into mine. "Percy, you are a patient, not someone that askes about a nurse's personal life. Now, if you don't mind, please sit still so I can fix your IV."

I looked down towards my where my IV connected to my skin. She reached over my bare chest to fix the IV cord and I could feel her breath hitting my skin. Her blonde curly hair was pulled into a bun with the nurse hat on, but some strands were breaking through. I mindlessly- I might add- let my hand reach up and brush a strand of hair behind her ear. Annabeth didn't seem bothered by it, but she finished with my IV cord before standing up straight and not leaning over me.

"Is that comfortable now?" Annabeth asked, taking a deep breath.

I looked over at where it laid and nodded when I turned my head back around. She nodded and one of the other nurse's walked over and pressed a hand on her arm. Annabeth looked next to her and smiled. The other nurse looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Another plane accident?" the nurse asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. His leg got torn apart by a piece of wire that was loose, the doctor says. He said he found the tip of the wire inside-"

"Okay, I really don't need details!" the other nurse replied.

"You are a nurse, Thalia. You got more disgusting patients then him. He's just lucky to be alive." Annabeth told her friend. "I'm actually surprised the doctor didn't do anything to his leg besides stich it up."

I was still lying in the hostipal bed, staring at the both of them talk. Annabeth seemed quite into talking with her friends, but I realized there was only a few nurses actually here.

"Is he the one that needs the asprin?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth looked towards me. "Do you want one? The doctor said you had a big bump on your head."

I just nodded, looking over to the side. I grabbed the cup of water on the tray and Annabeth placed the asprin into my hand, her fingers lightly touching mine. She pulled away quickly and bit her lip, watching me closely as I took the little medicine. I drunk the water down in one gulp and held the cup out for more.

"I'll go get him some more since the little spider caught her trap." Thalia teased pushing the blonde playfully.

Annabeth blushed lightly. "Shut up, you!"

I didn't really get it, but I'm guessing that's because I'm a boy. Annabeth's eyes flickered over to my heart monitor and it was perfectly fine. She looked back towards me, but her eyes avoided mine. I wonder why she was hiding from me. I let it slide because I'm feeling really sleepy. I wonder if the asprin does that to you. I just remembered asprin fixes my headaches, but I get really sleepy.

Annabeth grabbed the cup of water from her friend and placed it on my tray. My eyes closed and I felt my body shut down with sleep.

_**PERCY'S DREAM: **_**TWO YEARS AGO**

_"Perseus Jackson." someone said behind me._

_I turned around and wanted to glare at the person for saying my full name, but I realized it was my best friend, Luke, who was wearing his U.S. Navy jacket. I wore the exact same one and I walked over to him, smirking at him. He just turned nineteen yesterday and I've already been nineteen for a few months. Luke held his hand out and I clasped mine in his, giving him a bump on the shoulder._

_"What's up, man?" I asked looking at his jacket. I saw his name on the right side of it just like mine. We're both apart of the U.S. Navy and we were the ones that could get killed in nasty ways because of what we did._

_We flew huge war planes into the sky against our enemies. _

_Luke grinned. "Nothing much. I'm just excited about flying without getting in trouble for it. I mean, it's been eight months since we begun training and we're finally done."_

_"Greatest thing since graduation." I chuckled looking at our planes to our right. "Can you believe that were actually here, standing on U.S.A. military ground?"_

_"It's unbelieveable. I remember when we were eight years old and we would fly toy planes straight into the woods and losing them. Then we were thirteen and built our own plane to start flying it."_

_I laughed along with him. "I remember the first time I put my hands on a official plane that the actual army used when I was seventeen. It felt amazing and nothing like I would of expected it to be."_

_Luke punched me in the shoulder and I just laughed. "I don't like you being older than me. You began training in August, straight after you turned seventeen. I had to wait until January to start training. I just can't believe we're here right now!"_

_"All right, man. Don't get too excited. We're in the army, we still need to be focus." I said starting to walk down the aisle of planes._

_Luke laughed walking beside me. "Says the one that got drunk while we were England."_

_"Hey, it wasn't illegal there. It's only illegal here, and I was of age. You're just mad because you couldn't have a beer." I explained._

_He just laughed and we both kept walking, staring at all the planes. I was surprised to see that I was actually here. I mean, with the grades I got in high school and the way I would act sometimes. I could act really recklessly, especially when I'm in the air. But I was trained now, and I know how to work a plane the right way. _

_I was fifteen when I started flying. I knew how to fly a plane right, I just didn't choose to. My dad didn't enjoy that because I would act like I was going to fly straight into his massion that he owned, that I would only stay the night in every Friday when I was younger. I only would come over when I wanted to fly. My mom never liked me in the air, especially now. _

_Luke snapped me out of my past. I looked towards him and he smirked, looking forward. I looked to where he was looking and saw the commander's plane. It was larger than all of ours, but I have plans on making my spot on commander. _

_"We should get back before anyone spots us out this late." Luke said turning around and walking towards the house that the Navy would sleep in._

_I took one last glance at the commander's plane and pushed my hands into my jacket's pocket, trying to get warm. I turned around and followed Luke. We both took one look at our planes and walked away with no word to each other. _

**PRESENT TIME**

I opened my eyes as I heard the sound of my cousin's voice. He was singing a Michael Jackson song, very quietly so I could only here. He had an obsession with dead singers; don't ask me why.

I grinned when I saw my best friend and cousin standing next to my bed. Nico stood there in his leather jacket messed up. He had dried blood on his cheek and hands, but it didn't seem to bother him.

Nico spoke up. "Hey, man. How you feel?"

"Great." I said sarcastically. "What kind of question is that?"

"The best kind." Luke answered laughing.

Nico just rolled his eyes. "Dude, I can't believe that you got shot down. You never get shoot down. You're one of the best pilots I know."

"I wasn't paying attention, man." I replied sighing. "That's why I tell you to keep your ears open for any strange noises and keep looking in your rearview and side mirrors."

Nico bit his lip while nodding. Luke cocked his head to one side in Annabeth's direction. I turned to look at her and I smirked. Luke just nodded and Nico grinned, knowing what I was thinking.

"After you get out." Luke said plainly.

I nodded. "Yeah."

My thought: I was going to ask her out.

**What do you guys think? Should Annabeth say yes or no? What would you guys do if this handsome, black haired, green eyed pilot asked you out? I know my answer :D**

**Review and you'll get the next chapter! I really enjoy writing this story because it's original and something I quite enjoy writing. I like writing romance, but I like writing action too. **

**-HunterofArtemis32**

**P.S. What do you guys think about the idea of having Alyssa (from Past and Present) being the main protaganist in the sequel? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. **

**I am definitely in a writing mood right now. I want to write so bloody (HP fan) bad. My fingers keep wanting to type. **

**This chapter is set two weeks after Percy gets in the hostipal. I want him to get back into flying, but he still visits the hostipal so that the doctor check in on him. **

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

"All right man, let's see this baby fly." I said into my headset.

Nico chuckled next to me and flipped on the main switch. He was my partner in this training session as we went against Luke and his partner. The captain wanted us to practice new procedures, and since I was in the hostipal for a while, he didn't start anything new without letting his top flyer in the assignment.

"How many times do we flip again?" Nico asked, grabbing his controllers.

I looked over at him, "None right now. When we spot Luke, flip once and then attack."

I glanced out the window of the huge war plane and looked up, flipping on the switch that brought out the big guns. I grabbed the plane's main controllers, brought the plane lower than the captain probably expected. I dropped the plane about a couple feet and let it soar close to the water. Nico followed my instructions on just handeling the other controllers and watching out for Luke. We prepared our battle stations and I let the plane's speed go down lower as we searched for Luke.

"Come on, Jackson. You're better than this." the captain's voice ran through my ears.

I smirked. "Then you don't me quite well yet, Major."

"You better have a good enough plan to be able to swirve your plane out of the way before you crash into the water, Jackson." he instructed.

"Yes, sir." I answered.

Nico laughed beside me. "For someone who just had a wire got taken out of their leg and stitched up, you're pretty dang happy to be back into flying mode."

"Well, I had a beautiful nurse take care of me while I was in health care." I smirked then let it leave my face when I noticed Luke's plane behind me, appearing out of nowhere.

I turned on my headset and spoke into the microphone. "Are we playing dirty or keeping it clean, my friend?"

"Don't friend me, Jackson." Luke replied.

"You asked for it." I threatened, flipping on my main guns. I kept the plane lower and I'm guessing the captain didn't really like that with a few thousand dollar plane.

I slowly turned the plane around and Nico was impressed by the way I handled a plane so easily, so gently. I finished turning the plane as I spotted Luke appearing behind the mountain on the beach that we would usually train on. That's the reason for so much water below us. I brought the plane higher as best I could without being spotting.

"Jackson, you better not be doing anything stupid!" the captain yelled in my ear.

I grinned. "Then you do not know me, sir."

"Jackson!"

I let the plane soar higher into sky. I flipped off the main switch and punched the airline button. I punched Nico in the shoulder and he gasped, grabbing the controllers for the gun shooting. He spotted Luke at the peak of the mountian. I slowed the plane down as Nico turned on the main gunlines so we could easily catch up with him. I flipped on the main switch again and it let the plane become quieter. I would normally already be flying at normal speed, but this is training.

I had to know the difference between under attack and learning something knew.

Luke appeared from the mountain peak and started flying towards us at normal speed. What the heck was he thinking? I grunted, grabbing the main controllers and turned on the plane boosters, making us soar even faster. I could never catch up in time unless I sped up. And that's what I did.

The captain cursed in the speaker. "What are you thinking? You will never catch up in time."

"Don't ever underestimate me, sir. I can do things a lot of people could never normally do." I said, letting the plane soar faster. "Not to be rude, sir, but I would like it if I could concentrate and do my own work. I've been listening so far and now, let me control this plane... my way."

"You ruin that plane, Jackson, and you're gonna get it."

"Yes, sir."

I let my hands drop from the controllers as it sped up and got closer to Luke. Nico was beside me, his hands grasping his controllers. He was leaning as back as he could from the glass, just in case his reckless cousin didn't so something stupid. Ya'll shall know me by now. I'm always reckless and stupid.

Luke was getting closer by the second and my hands still haven't grabbed the controllers. Nico was shouting as Luke was a few meters away from us. I kept my eyes focused on the main controllers and the plane in front of us. Right at the last moment, I reached out and grabbed the controllers, swirving the plane to the right. Luke followed my instructions I gave him earlier and he swirved to the right.

I shouted into the headpiece. "And that's how you do it!"

"Man, you are the master of flying." Luke said into the speaker.

"What do you think, Major? Impressed?" I asked, chuckling,

The captain spoke, "Very good, pilot. I'm impressed."

"I want to fly like you when I get older." Nico laughed next to me.

"Tons of practice, tons of studying." I told him.

I flew the plane towards the run-way and let the tires escaped their slots. I grunted as the plane landed on the road. I turned off the engine and I climbed out of the plane, walking towards the captain. His arms were crossed, and he wore sunglasses from the rays of the sun. Nico followed me, sitting down and taking a breather.

"I need to talk to you, Jackson." the captain said, smirking at me.

Luke walked over towards me and put his arm around my shoulders, laughing. "You are the best flyer I have ever seen in my entire life."

"That's why I'm promoting you." the captain stated.

I looked at him. "Major, wh-what are you talking about?"

"I'm promoting you to commander." he said, taking off his sunglasses and his blue eyes glared into mine. "After years of training and studies, I think you deserve more than anyone in this session. You have come far for such a young age and I have never seen no one want anything more, Commander Jackson."

I grinned and stood tall as the captain came forward and held out his hand. I shook hands with him and he pulled away, grabbing something from his pocket. The captain placed a pin on my button-up Navy shirt and sealed it with clasping it on the cotton. I stood, brave and tall, ready to take this responsibility. I got to fly the commander's plane and give orders to the brave soldiers that come to fight. The captain gave me a two-finger salute and I responded, smirking as I did.

Luke and Nico came running to me. Nico breathed heavily on the commander pin and wiped his steam off, watching it shine in the sunset. Luke was staring at me in denial.

"My best friend is the Navy Commander. It's your dream, man."

I placed my arm around his shoulders. "You'll be my second-in-command, like always."

"I may not be able to. The captain didn't promote anyone else besides you. I'm just glad you got your dream." Luke said, grinning. "I'm proud of you. You deserve it more than anybody."

"Thanks, man." I told him. "Brothers?"

"Brothers." Luke agreed.

Nico punched me in the arm. "I hate to break up this touching moment, but don't you have an appointment with the doctor and that _beautiful nurse_ you always talk about?"

I cursed. "Yeah, I do. This may be my chance to finally ask her out. I haven't seen her since I got out or even when I got to my appointments, she always somewhere else where I can't find her."

"Somebody's in love." Nico sung in a singing voice.

I groaned. "Please, don't sing. You sound like you have a bad case of strep-throat."

"Just get going, man. Bring up the part that you're a commander now." Luke yelled as I ran towards my vehicle and revved the engine.

I gave two-finger salute and pulled out of the training area, driving down the gravel road. I bit my lip as I took the pin off my shirt, looking at it as I waited for light to turn green. My thumb ran over the words 'COMMANDER' and I grinned, feeling confident.

**AT THE ****HOSTIPAL **

I pulled off my shirt as I waited for the doctor to check up on me. The nurse was going to come in and check up on me first. Do the basics: check heart beat, check reflexes, and etc. I was resting my forehead on the cold wall when the door opened.

"Mr. Perseus Jackson, is it?" I knew that voice. My eyes opened and I turned around, seeing that beautiful blonde with the chart in her hands. Her blonde hair was down today and it made her insanely more beautiful. Those grey eyes glanced down at my chest and back up to my eyes.

She pointed towards the bed and I sat down, staring up at her. "How's the pain? Is it subsiding or getting worse? Scale from 1 to 10."

"Um, four. It only hurts when I mess with it or something." I answered. "I mean, besides that fact that I'm in the Navy, my leg gets hit sometimes in a plane, but I'm in a zone when I'm flying so it doesn't bother me that much."

"Hmm, I see. Has the stitches come undone at all?" Annabeth asked, looking up at me with her light colored lips.

"Not that I know of." I said.

She breathed out deeply. "Trust me, you would know if they came undone. Even if you could handle heavy amounts of pain." Annabeth grabbed the stethoscope and placed it on my heart. "Okay, take deep cleansing breaths."

I followed her instructions. "Ma'am, do you think I could possibly have some water?"

"Of course." she filled me a cup of water and I drunk it down. Her facial expression was impressed, but her eyebrow was raised.

I chuckled. "If you want to be a strong soldier in the Navy, you have to stay hydrated."

"I can tell." She came across something on my chest and her fingers lightly rubbed the scar that was right below my neck. I grabbed her wrist and those grey eyes stared into mine.

"Um, I got stabbed when I was around eight. My best friend and I were playing around one night and we came across a pocket-knife. Little did we know, he accidentaly swung his arm backward with the knife in his hands and cut my skin."

She nodded and finished checking my heart beat, but I grabbed her hand as she began to walk towards the door. "Don't go."

"I have to, sir. I've done my job."

I let my fingers intertwine with hers as I pulled her closer. "Not yet."

She bit her lip and smiled at me. "Ok, I'm still here. Now, what do you want, pilot?"

"I was promoted today, and I was going to celebrate. I was wondering if you would like to join me for a special dinner tonight around seven for my promotion." I told her.

Annabeth smiled. "What did you get promoted to?"

"Commander. My life-long dream." I answered.

She looked at me. "As amazing as that sounds, I have to decline your offer."

"What- why?" I asked as she opened the door.

Annabeth turned around and simply said, "I don't date patients."

**Ooh... Percy got denied. **

**What do you think he should do to get her attention? I'll take any suggestions. I'll even dedicate the chapter to you if I take your idea.**

**Review and you'll get the next chapter! I really enjoy writing this story. It's adventurous, different, and I love the way Percy is in this story.**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone. **

**I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I've had VBS all week and I still have it tonight. I had some other problems during the week, but they are all taken care of. Phew.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

_The view was amazing from the sky. Sunset was already beautiful enough, but from the sky, it had a different point of view. You could see the rays from the sun; the sky would change different colors with the sun rising behind the blue water. I was in love with the fact that I could see this when I could be watching it from a distance._

Luke snapped me out of my thoughts. "Dude, are you even paying attention?"

"Yeah. It's just I'm thinking about that nurse, Annabeth. I have an idea to get her attention." I told him, grinning at the sound of her name. "I'm gonna take her out flying at sunset."

Nico laughed. "Are you sure you're not in love with this girl? I've never seen you so happy about a girl before. I mean, do you have dreams about her?"

"Why does it matter if I do or not?" I asked, jumping into the front seat. We were going to fly our own planes around the sky for a while. Nico was getting in the back of mine and Luke was taking his own. Grover was still being hospitalized for his injuries.

"Never mind that. Let's do some flying, baby." Nico answered, checking the plane's tires and engine. He was smart when it came to planes, when it came to girls and everything else, he would become dumb. That's the one area I do not come to him for advice. I make my own decisions when it comes to girls, unless I really had nothing in my brain.

Luke turned on his main boosters and it made a loud, crackling noise. He cursed and jumped out of the front seat, going underneath the plane where the engine lay. "Dude, do we have another plane? The engine is busted. It looks someone who last used it didn't put the fryer covers on and the engine's main system is fried."

"Who the heck would do that?" I asked, jumping out of the plane and over to Luke. He pointed to main line and I cursed under my breath when I saw the engine was literally fried. "Who was the last person to use this plane?"

We both turned around and looked at Nico with a look, but he held his hands up. "Wasn't me. Honest."

"Hey yo, Percy!" a deep voice yelled from the open.

I turned around from grasping Nico's shirt and realized that it was Beckendorf, who was obsessed with engines and fixing stuff and his girlfriend, Silena. His white beater tank-top was dirty from grease stains and oil splatters. He was wiping his hands with a rag as he walked over. His eyes widened at the sight of me about to beat the crap out of my little cousin.

"Dude, what happened now? What'd you do?" Beckendorf asked Nico.

Nico held his hands up. "It wasn't me. I never use that plane anyways. I only fly when Percy flies, unless I have permission from the captain, but I never use that plane!"

"Do you know who was the last person who used it? The engine's main line is broken and the engine is fried itself." I explained.

Beckendorf chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, man."

"It was you?" I asked surprised. He was the man that was obsessed with machines.

He nodded. "I was trying to get the plane to go faster for like in case of a emergency and our enemy came onto us why we were training, like what happened to you." I growled at him for that. "The captain told me I could use this plane since hardly no one used it, but the front boosters exploded as I tried hooking it to the main line of the engine, and I guess it fried the plane's engine."

"What plane can we use then?" Luke asked, leaning against the non-working plane.

Beckendorf cocked his head towards the commander's plane. "Percy can fly the commander plane while you use this one." He set his hand on the plane that Nico and I use.

"The captain told me that I wasn't allowed to." I said.

"You need the practice. The commander plane is harder to fly. It's heavier and bigger than the smaller planes. That's why only the best pilots are allowed to fly them. The captain should let you fly it so you can get used to the many controllers you have to use."

"Well, I'm only allowed to use the plane for training. We use the old planes for our own flying time." I told him, resting my hand on the machine next to me.

Beckendorf shrugged. "I guess you have to take turns flying. It would take me about one to two weeks to fix this... um, exploded engine."

"That's great, man." Luke said. "Percy doesn't like sharing his plane. It's too precious to him."

"It's not just my plane. I like flying it than other ones, but I can deal with any plane." I corrected.

Beckendorf rolled his eyes and pointed at me. "Have you asked out that nurse yet?" He asked, leaning against the machine.

"How come everyone knows about this nurse?" Then I turned around to face Nico and Luke. They were whistling and standing with their arms behind their backs. "I asked her out, but she rejected."

"Man, you got rejected? Out of all people, you got rejected?" Beckendorf chuckled, high-fiving Luke and Nico.

I laughed once then stopped, punching him in the shoulder. "It's not funny. I like this girl a lot and she won't even give me the time of day."

"I have an idea. Take her out flying." Beckendorf suggested. I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms. "Trust me. I took Silena out flying for her to see the sunset in the sky, and she fell in love with me. And look at where we are now."

"I was already going to that, man. I'm not that stupid with girls. I'm actually pretty good with girls, it's just that this one won't even look at me without having safety goggles on." I sighed, leaning my head agains the body of the plane.

Luke rested a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy. Can I just ask you something?"

"What?" I asked.

"What did she actually say to you?" Luke chuckled, high-fiving Nico and Beckendorf.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um, she wasn't allowed- I mean, she doesn't date patients."

Beckendorf threw his head back and laughed loud. "That's the dumbest excuse in the book! Silena is a nurse and she's dating me. I'm a patient there. I go every week to get my teeth checked because of that tooth I lost during training. You know, the one that got infected and-"

"And we really don't need any more details. We were there with you when it happened." I said, patting him on the back. "But you can continue with the fact that I can date Annabeth."

"Wait a minute, A-Annabeth?" Beckendorf asked, chuckling. "You like her?" I nodded, a big smile spreading over my face. "Dude, whenever I go pick up Silena from work, she's introduced me to her and man, she's freaking beautiful. I can see why now."

I stepped in front of him, standing at my full height of six foot two and crossed my arms. "She's mine."

"I know, I'm just agreeing with you. I have to go pick up Silena and Annabeth is always with her most of the time. They have to stay until six after all the patients are all done. I can sneak you in with me and you guys can actually talk without having an appointment." Beckendorf laughed, punching me in the shoulder.

I laughed. "Whatever, man. I'm going with you. See you guys later."

Beckendorf gave a two-finger salute behind us and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You really like this girl."

"Did you just now notice that?" I asked, smirking as we walked towards his car. He chuckled before we jumped into the Jeep and drove off towards the hostipal.

**TEN MINUTES LATER**

I followed Beckendorf into the hostipal, making sure to keep that smirk plastered on my face. We both wore sleeve-less shirts and he wore khaki shorts as I had my dirty grease and oil stained jeans on. I kept laughing as Beckendorf kept trying to get the oil stains out of his white shirt. He forgot that Silena got him that shirt and she would literally skin him alive for wearing it to training.

Beckendorf opened a door that said 'Nurse's Office' and smirked as he closed the door behind him. I trailed next to him as we walked forward to where all the nurses were. I smirked when I saw my beautiful nurse and her friend from my first visit- Thalia, I think- and they were laughing and talking.

"Hey there gorgeous." Beckendorf wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

Silena giggled and gave him a small kiss. She noticed me, leaning against the wall with my hands in my pockets. "Who's your friend, Charlie?"

"Percy." I said, grinning.

She leaned forward and shook my hand, smiling at me. "Well, nice to meet you. These are my friends. Um, Clarisse, Rachel, Thalia, and Annabeth."

"I already know one of them." My eyes drifted over to Annabeth who was sitting on a bed with cream-colored sheets. Her grey eyes met mine and she blushed lightly when I winked at her.

"What happened to your shirt?" Silena asked.

Beckendorf grinned towards me and grabbed Silena's hand, ignoring her question. "Are you ready to go?"

She eyed him for a minute and rolled her eyes. "What about Percy? Didn't you bring him here with you?" Silena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll walk home. It's not too far from here actually. Only a few blocks and I'm done." I said.

I just realized that two other nurses already left. Annabeth then stood up, wiped her hands on her jeans, and gave Silena a hug. "I need to get going. It's getting late."

Silena nodded. "All right. See you Monday, Anna."

"Bye." she waved and walked past me, walking out the door.

I cocked my head to the door. Beckendorf nodded and I smirked, walking out of the office. I noticed that Annabeth just left the hostipal and I ran through the front doors, noticing her figure sitting on the bench in front of the building. From what it looked like, she was texting someone on her phone. I walked slowly and quietly towards her, resting my hands on the railing. I leaned down, bringing my lips next to her ear.

"Have you ever seen the sunset from the sky before?" I whispered.

Annabeth's head quickly turned around, her lips millimeters away from mine. "No. I'm afraid I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"Well, would you like to?" I asked.

She smiled. "It would be quite an adventure."

"I have a plane, which I could fly into the sky and show you the colors that the sun makes over the ocean." I said. "But I guess you don't want to see such an amazing view that you can only get once in a lifetime because you can't date patients."

Annabeth sighed. "That plan didn't work, now did it?"

"Yeah, my best friend is dating your co-worker." I chuckled lightly. "Not very good at making lies."

"I'm just hard to figure out, that's all."

I grinned and pushed up on the railing, jumping over the bench. My feet landed on the other side. I bent down, leaned forward, and pressed my forehead against hers, letting her know she couldn't look away from me, whether she liked it or not. I like being in control. Her grey eyes stared into mine and she tried pulling her head away, but I placed my hands on the back of her neck.

Annabeth gave a small laugh. "You're not giving up, are you?"

"No." I answered. "Not until you agree to have one date with me. You may like it, you may not. I don't care as long as you just try."

"Are you going to take me out on an actual date or are we going to fly to see the sunset?" she asked, those grey eyes not leaving my glance.

I grinned. "I'm gonna take you flying so you can see how wonderful it is to be in the sky."

"Fine." she smiled lightly.

A big smile broke on my face and I let my hands release the back of her neck. Annabeth looked at me for a second and shook her head, giving a small laugh as I grabbed her wrist and pulled her off the bench, racing towards the flying center.

**Do you think Annabeth will enjoy it? What would you do if you were asked out by a handsome-green eyed-black haired-guy that was insanely generous and nice? I know what my answer would be :) **

**I want to say, it's not going to be a thirty-something story. It's probably around fifteen-twenty something chapter story. I just wanted to put that out there, but the chapters are going to be long. **

**Review and you'll get the next chapter!**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys!**

**I'm sorry for taking a long time to update. I was having a bad case of writer's block, and I was busy. This chapter gets things moving along. I enjoyed writing this chapter because of the events that happen. **

**Now, let's get to the story. Enjoy the chapter and review!**

**AT THE TRAINING CENTER**

I started the plane up, letting the engine roar to life. Annabeth jumped a little by the loud noise of the machine. I stepped onto the ledge of the plane, reaching out my hand for her grab. She looked at me then the flying machine in front of her. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was actually considering going with me.

"Come on, Anna. There's nothing to worry about." I grinned.

"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, would you get in trouble for letting me fly with you?" she asked.

I laughed. "Depends on the circumstances. That's why you need to hurry up and let us get into the air so they don't see you. But I doubt that anyone would be here at this time of day."

Annabeth laughed and grabbed my hand. I pulled her up into the plane and sat down in the front seat. She sat down on my lap, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I chuckled and grabbed the controllers, letting the plane go on the runway. She laughed as the plane lifted off the ground and her head left my neck as we began to soar through the sky. Annabeth was caught off guard when she saw the sun setting behind the ocean borderline.

"Oh my god! It's so beautiful." Annabeth said, smiling.

I grinned. "This is one of the many reasons I love being a pilot. You get to see... things that you normally couldn't. Some of the things are pretty horrifying and graphic, which most people don't really want to see, but then there is the insanely beautiful things that you get to see, and very few people get to live to see them."

"What do you mean?" she asked as we soared through the clouds and the skyline.

I sighed. "I mean, like some of our warriors last moments... they got to see the sun rise or set, and their eyes would just widen in amazement. It was like that was their first time seeing it all over again."

"Flying into peril and war, is it as scary as everyone thinks it is? Do you have any worries?"

"It depends. When I get into my plane, I think about my mom. She's in New York while I'm here, fighting in the war that we should of already won. I just wonder what I would be doing if I wasn't here... flying or-" I looked over at her. "Or with a gorgeous nurse."

Annabeth looked over her shoulder to look at me and she smiled. "Thank you, but I'm not as pretty or gorgeous- as you say- as Silena and Clarisse and Thalia."

"Do explain." I said smiling at her.

She laughed softly before giving me a small smile and turned to look out the window of the plane. I grabbed the controllers and made sure the plane flied sturdier. I wanted to make this flight be as memorable as it could be. Annabeth leaned her forehead against the glass, letting her eyes stare at the clear, open sky.

I rested my hand on her upper arm, making her flinch and turn around, her eyes glancing into mine.

"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning my head against the back of the seat. I could still reach the controllers easily as possible and look out the windows in case of a emergency or just to stare at the sunset.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I just- I just realized that I haven't called my dad in a really long time."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She lifted her hand and ran her hand across her cheeks, wiping any tears that she expected me not to see. "Um, no, I'm okay. I just need some water, that's all, but I reckon there's none in here."

"I have a water bottle. I've drunk out of it, but it still fresh." I reached down, grabbed the bottle, and held it out for her.

She hesitated, but then grabbed the bottle. I smiled at her and grabbed the controllers, slowly bringing us to a slow and steady flight. She drunk the water like she's been dehydrated all of this time and took the top of it from her mouth. Annabeth tilted the bottle towards me, asking me with her eyes if I wanted any. I shook my head 'no' and I flipped the main switch on above me.

I brought the plane close to the training area and onto the runway like a piece of cake. I drove the plane into its resting spot before shutting the engine off. I reached up and un-hitched the glass overhead and jumped down onto the railing of the plane. Annabeth stepped out next to me, using my shoulder as a leverage.

I jumped down onto the ground and lifted my right hand for her to grab so she could get down. I smiled at her as she slid her hand into mine. Annabeth tried jumping down but her feet slipped out from under her and she almost fell down onto the concrete. I reached out and grabbed her by the waist, making sure that she didn't smash her face on the plane's wing or anything.

Annabeth gasped, grabbing my arms as I caught her. "Thanks."

"No problem." I said.

She stood on her own two feet. "Um, thank you for tonight. It was really fun."

"Again, not a problem." I smiled, staring into her intense grey eyes. "Would you like to do it again sometime? I'm sure my plane would have no problem with it." I teased.

Annabeth laughed softly. "Um, I'm guessing the plane isn't the only one having no problem with it."

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, my arms still wrapped around her waist. It felt right, like I was made to keep my arms wrapped around her.

"No, but you're smiling like you just won a million dollars. I'm guessing you liked my company."

I shrugged, grinning. "Well, your guess is correct."

Annabeth's face broke out into a large smile. Our eyes locked with each other, and I could of stayed that way forever, but she had to get home. She had to wake up early for some patients coming in at seven-thirty at the hostipal. I just stayed at the training center, staring up at the nighttime sky, looking at the million different stars up in the darkness.

I watched as a shooting star flew across the midnight sky. I stayed awake a little bit longer, before falling asleep.

**THE NEXT DAY**

"Hand me that screwdriver."

I held the wire in my hands as Beckendorf went over to the toolbox and grabbed the screwdriver. He handed me the tool and I started to fix the plane's engine. I pulled the wire back into the slot and wrapped the band around it, putting the screws into their places. Beckendorf gave me the wrench and took away the screwdriver as I tightened the six bolts that held it place.

My white sleeve-less shirt had grease and oil stains from being under the plane and fixing its engine. I stood up straight and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I looked over at Beckendorf who was bringing me a rag to dry my face.

"What do you think?" I asked. "Does it need any more tightening?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I say the engine is done, but the tires need fixed."

"New tires?" I breathed out heavily.

He nodded. "Yep. I have three new tires right over here."

"Let me at them." I said, slamming the cover to the engine. I tightened the last bolt before throwing the wrench into the toolbox.

Beckendorf and I pulled the old tires off the plane, and attached the three new ones. We took a few steps back and looked at the plane. This isn't the one that had the engine blow up. This one had a few minor problems, but Beckendorf and I got them done within the hour.

I climbed onto the ledge of the plane and leaned against the body. He grabbed two water bottles from the small fridge and threw one to me. The water felt good on my throat.

"Hey, so what did Annabeth think about the sunset last night?" he asked, smirking before taking a drink.

I chuckled. "It went pretty good. I mean, she had a good time, but something was bothering her about her dad."

"Ah, Silena tells me not to worry about it, whenever I come pick her up. She says that Annabeth would sometimes get like that. Her parents live in San Francisco while she's here."

I raised an eyebrow and took another drink. "No offense or anything, but does Silena talk about everybody and everyone, but herself?"

Beckendorf laughed and shook his head. "If she has nothing to talk about, she'll talk about other people, but not in the bad way. She'll talk about the pain they lived through or talk about her patients she saw that day. I feel bad for them. They see people die every day and it effects their lives just as much as ours."

"When did you become so soft, Becky?" I teased, sitting down on the ledge.

He gave a smal laugh then we went back to serious. "I mean, think about it. Silena, Annabeth, and the others see patients die every day. We see them die every once in a while."

I took a sip of my water and wiped my mouth. "I'm just glad that they don't see what we see. I remember the last person I saw die here. It was that new kid, um... Robby. He was in battle and the enemy blew his plane up. I watched it happen and I shot down the person that killed him."

"Yeah, we see some pretty intense injuries or deaths." Beckendorf leaned against the wing of the plane as I sat above him.

"Hey, yo, Percy!" someone yelled from the opening of the plane shop.

I looked over and laughed when I saw Nico, with black dust all over his face. He ran over to me as Beckendorf and I pointed at him and couldn't stop laughing.

"What happened to you?" I asked, in between laughs.

Nico frowned. "My plane doesn't like me, at all."

"I should of guessed that your plane did that. You never had a good relationship with that machine." Beckendorf said.

I high-fived him and looked over at my little cousin. "Nico, when will you learn to not get that plane mad or it will spit grease in your face?"

"I thought I learned it already, but I guess not."

"Apparently." I said, taking another drink of my H2O.

Nico rolled his eyes and pointed at me. "Anyways, I didn't come here to get laughed at, but you know that girl you went out with yesterday?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, she's here and asking for you." he finished.

I couldn't stop the smile from appearing off my face. "Where is she?"

"Um, I told Luke to keep her busy until I found out where you were. I guess I'll run back and send her in here."

I nodded as Nico ran off back into the sunlight. Beckendorf sat on the wing of the plane, drinking the rest of his water. I still sat on the ledge of the plane, now waiting for Annabeth to come. I was wondering though: what was she doing here?

I was resting my head on the body of the machine when I heard Nico start shuffling in. I looked over to where he was and my head lifted up when I saw Annabeth standing behind him, her curly, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. Beckendorf walked over to Nico, fist-pounded him, and put an arm around his shoulders, leaving us alone in the plane shelter.

I stood up to my full height and jumped down, throwing my water bottle away in the trash-can next to me. I walked over to the toolbox and started putting the tools away when I felt a hand rest on my lower back. Volts of eletricity went shooting up my spine from her touch. I turned around and took her hand in mine, leaning against the table where the tools lay.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling her closer to me.

Annabeth smiled and allowed herself to be close. "I needed to ask you something. More like I need you to me a favor."

"What is it?"

She bit her lip. "There's this dinner party that all the nurses are invited to for our hard work. And I wanted to ask if you could come with me, like, to be my date."

I looked into her grey eyes. "When is it?"

"Um, tomorrow night. I know it's short notice, but we got the invitations today at work. I didn't even know about it until today."

"No need to explain." I teased.

Annabeth looked down, but I tilted her chin up to stare into her eyes. "So, what do you say?"

"No problem. I haven't been to a dinner party unless you count having a small gourmet breakfast with friends, then no." I chuckled.

She smiled. "Thank you so much. Now, I don't have to ask my jerk ex-boyfriend."

"That would be hard."

"Exactly."

I intertwined her fingers with mine. "Can I ask you something though?" she nodded. "How come you asked me instead of... anyone else?"

"I didn't know anyone else that would actually do it for me. I was going to ask my half-brother, Malcolm, but he left a few weeks ago to go back home with our mother." Annabeth said. "So, it was impossible to ask him on such short notice. I decided to go through the small list of guys I know, and I picked you. You seemed like the kind of guy that would do anything for anybody."

I grinned. "You're right."

"Thank you, again. It means a lot to me."

"No problem. I don't mind. I actually have nothing to do tomorrow, besides help Beckendorf fix the engine that he exploded." I laughed.

Annabeth smiled while laughing. "Should I ask what happened?"

"Not really."

"All right, then."

I stood back on my feet, standing in front of her. "What time should I pick you up?"

"Around... seven-ish?" she asked.

I grinned. "All right. I'll see you tomorrow night at seven."

"Okay. Thanks again, Percy." she said, giving me a smile before turning around and walking off. I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore. I leaned back onto the table and the smile wouldn't leave my face.

**What do you think will happen at the dinner party? Do you think that Annabeth likes Percy or does she think of him as a friend?**

**Review and you'll get the next chapter! I would really love it if we could make it to hundred reviews. I would love you guys even more than I already do. **

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello.**

**I haven't updated this story in a while. I've been extremely busy and tired, and I know that's not the best excuse, but that's all I got :p **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter and review!**

I stood in the bathroom, trying to do something with my hair. It would never stay the way I wanted it to. I would smooth it down and it would stay there for a second, but then it would go back to its normal, messy looking phase.

I groaned and just ran my fingers through my hair, just keeping it the way it looks. I was wearing the nicest pair of jeans I had, considering that I don't own any tuxes, and a white button-up shirt with my best looking sneakers to conclude.

I hardly had any dress clothes.

And when I say hardly, I mean none.

I looked in the mirror once more to check that my hair didn't poof up again with that annoying little hair sticking up. No sign of anything. Good. I walked out of my bathroom, out of my bedroom, and into the living room where my jacket hung on the coat racket. I put my wallet and phone in my back pocket before shutting the lights off. I walked out of my apartment, my keys in hand.

My truck rested in the parking lot. I checked my phone and scrolled down to my text messages to see the text Annabeth sent me. It was her address. I revved my truck, looked to see if anything was coming and then drove out of the lot.

I pulled into the driveway of her house and looked at my phone to see if it was the right address. It was correct. I slid out of the truck and walked over to her front door, knocking twice. The door opened and Annabeth stood in the doorway.

My god.

Annabeth wore a knee-length, black, strapless dress with some small heels. Her legs went on for miles and her curves wore the dress really, _really _well. I felt like I was teenage boy again, seeing a girl really good-looking girl in a dress for the first time. I felt myself drooling and I couldn't stop staring at her. God, she was beautiful.

"U-um, wow," I said stupidly. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Mother of pearl... wow."

She laughed. "Is it too much or should I chan-"

"No, you look perfect." I told her, smiling.

Annabeth laughed again. "Are you sure I look all right?"

"You look fine. Y-you look beautiful. Very beautiful." I answered, truthfully.

She smiled this time. "Ok, whatever you say."

"Are you all set? Ready to go?" I asked.

She held her hand up for a second, turned around into her house, and came back with a light jacket. "Now, I'm all set and ready to go." She shut the door behind her, locking it with a key.

"All right then." I grinned, holding my arm out.

She laughed and took a hold of my arm, letting me escort her towards the truck. I opened the door for her and she climbed in, letting me close the door. I walked over to my side and slid in, turning the engine on. I drove off in the direction that Annabeth was telling me to go.

I leaned against the cushion in the seat and rested my arm across the seat. "So, is there anything I need to know about these parties? I haven't been to one in years."

"Um, there's some people you would want to avoid, but most of the time you have to talk to them anyways. Stay away from the waiters or in your case, the waitresses." I laughed. "And don't listen to the guys if they call you a loser for being in the army."

"Why would they do that?" I asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "I have no idea. I guess they think that if you studied and worked on something you really care about, they think you're losers. They have nothing better to do. They rather spend their lives sleeping around and doing nothing."

"What about the girls?"

"We may have to talk to my rival, Stacy. She's very flirty with men and doesn't matter whether they're married or not or even dating somebody." I cringed at the sound of that. "Everything in the world has to be hers."

"Why are you guys rivals?"

She sighed. "Just... different point of views on certain things."

"Oh, I see."

When we pulled up to where the party was taking place, it was packed with different types of cars. I was surprised to see that some of these cars, some people could actually afford. I may work with planes, but I knew all kinds of cars and the way they work.

"I thought you said it was only for nurses and doctors with their dates." I said, pulling into a parking space. I turned the truck off and walked around to open the door for Annabeth.

"It is. Last year when we had this, it looked the same way. It's for the restaurant down the streets. It is always packed this time of year. They're celebrating its tenth year in business this weekend, which is probably why it's so crammed here."

I nodded. "Where's the entrance?"

"Over here." she led the way to the door and smiled at the man walking up to the door beside her. "Good evening, Dr. Redmond."

Dr. Redmond, I guess, tilted his head at her and turned to look at me. "I suppose this is your date."

"Yes sir. This is my date, Percy Jackson. He's a pilot in the U.S. Navy."

The doctor smiled at us both. "Well, congratulations on your win, Mr. Jackson. Aren't you the pilot that was shot down, though?"

"I was. But I'm healthy and back into action from this fine lady over here." I looked over at Annabeth and she was blushing lightly.

The doctor nodded. "It's great to have you back."

"Thank you, sir."

Annabeth took a hold of my arm after. "Do you like the attention of being a pilot?"

"Not really. I like the attention from beautiful nurses and their gorgeous smiles." I winked at her and she blushed again, leaning into my side.

When we walked into the grand building, I felt slightly underdressed. Everyone was wearing fancy suits and the right clothing for a party like this. Annabeth touched my forearm and I looked down at her. Those grey eyes stared into mine.

"Don't worry about the formal wear. Men nowadays look tacky in them anyway. I think you look handsome the way you are. I also love the casual smirk on your face. I say it makes you look like what you really are. A leader."

I grinned and began walking forward. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome." Annabeth smiled. "Now, where is my friends? I need to show off my date."

"Don't they know me already?" I said as we continued to walk.

She shrugged. "Some of them do. Some of them don't."

I looked around and saw people making small talk. Women wore long, fancy dresses and men wore tacky and from the looks of it, expensive suits for the occasion. I felt confident in my attire and I say that Annabeth was the most beautiful person in the whole room. She said hi to a few people as we passed them.

"Oh god," she whispered as she turned around to face the other way. "Please, please-"

I rested my hands on her back. "Annabeth, what's wrong?"

"Please-"

"ANNABETH?"

"Oh no," she groaned, turning around to face the crowd again.

A young lady around her age came walking through the crowd, pushing other people and stepping on their feet like she was the queen of England. She was wearing a gold dress, that looked like it cost a million dollars and it was really short. Her shoes, good heavens, who could walk in them? I know I couldn't of.

I stared at her in disgust, wondering why anyone would want to be friends with THAT?

The lady walked over to Annabeth, who was biting her lip and glaring at her. She ignored the look and gave Annabeth a small hug, patting her on the back like she was afraid of touching her. I was fed up with her act, so I cleared my throat, resting a hand on her lower back.

"Who is this?" the young woman asked.

Annabeth looked over at me. "Um, this is my date, Percy Jackson. This is Stacy Edwards."

"Nice to meet you..." her eyes stared me down. "Oh, um, Percy."

"Hi, Stacy." I said with no enthusiasm.

She smiled at me before turning to Annabeth. "I haven't seen you in years! You finally have cleared your face from all those pimples you had in sixth grade."

Annabeth fake-laughed. "Hmm, I guess beauty does have its miracles."

Stacy laughed. "Yes, it does. Percy, did you know that this little girl here was the school's nerd back in the day? I remember the days when I was going through puberty and actually getting boy's attention as you stayed stuck in your little brain with all your facts."

"Well, I was the one who graduated with highest grade and a scholarship to medical school."

Stacy ignored her and looked towards me. "And what do you do, Percy?" She said my name with a purring sound.

"I'm a U.S. Navy pilot that kicks enemies in the crotch when they mess with me." I answered.

She laughed. "Oh, a pilot! Who knew Annabeth would get such a lucky man?"

"Yeah, um, do you want something to drink?" I asked the gorgeous blonde in front of me.

Annabeth sighed. "Sure. I would love one. I'll come with you. I'm in the need for something to eat as well. I'm feeling light-headed."

Stacy grabbed her arm. "We should get to together."

"She's extremely busy with her job that she doesn't have time to sit around and gossip around a round table with woman that are obnoxious and don't care what they say even if it's hurts somebody? Good-bye." I told her, leaving her standing there with her mouth wide-opened.

When we weren't around any people, I brought her over to the door. I looked at her with a concern look on my face. "Annabeth, what's wrong?"

"She's such a horrible person! I still can't believe she would say something like that to you."

It didn't really bother me that Rebecca told me about her being the school nerd or the girl who a million pimples, but if it bothered Annabeth and made her upset, then I had to comfort her. "Hey, it doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. She says that to every guy I've ever brought here. I think she only dates doctors just so she can embarrass me. I bet she does. I bet that's what-"

I covered my hand over her mouth. I chuckled and said, "You talk way too much. One day, you're going to break that brain of yours."

Annabeth tried to smile but my hand was over her mouth. I let my hand drift over to where it rested on her cheek. "That was rude."

"Well, baby, get used to it."

She had a glint in her eyes that made me think that she liked getting called that but her response was different. "I never agreed to you calling me baby."

"I'm older than you, so technically, I don't have to listen," I smirked.

Annabeth was about to protest, but the vibration of my phone in my pocket made us both stop talking. I grabbed my phone and took a glance at the number, and answered it. "Yeah, man?"

"Hey dude, I was wondering, would you want to come to the party station with us?" Nico asked. I could pratically hear the smile on his face. Party Station is where pilots and their dates have fun instead of talking in formal tone.

I grinned. "Sure. Can I bring a friend with me?" Annabeth's head came up from her hands and her eyes met mine.

Nico laughed. "Let me guess. It's that foxy nurse you're always talking about."

"Yes," I answered about to punch him in the face, which won't end well with a phone that can't fight back.

He yelled into the speaker. "GO AHEAD AND BRING HER!"

I hung the phone up and turned to look at Annabeth with a grin on my face. "Do you want to go somewhere with me?"

**PaGeBrEaK**

The music played loudly in the background as I laughed while Nico and a young girl danced around the floor. Beckendorf and Silena were talking about things over in the booth away from me. Luke was enjoying his third beer of the night and I couldn't keep my eyes off Annabeth. She was clapping with the song and taking sips of her Coke-Cola.

I finally emerged from my seat and grabbed her hand from the table that was inviting me to take. Her expression when I pulled her from her chair was hilarious. She was uneasy, but I took her hand in mine and looked at her.

"Don't worry. Just let the music go through your veins," I told her. My hand rested on her waist, pulling her a little bit closer to me.

Annabeth laughed once before looking over at the other dancing partners/couples. "I'm only here just because of you. I had no choice to come with you. You were my ride home."

"Oh, just shut up and enjoy it," I teased and started to go with the music.

She took a moment and her head began to move. A few minutes later, we were laughing while my hands rested on her hips and Annabeth was escaping her shell and moving to the music.

God, if she wasn't beautiful already; she just hit rock bottom.

Annabeth was then pulled away from my grasp and I was about to punch the guy, but I realized that it was Nico. He did this with every date of mine. He spun her around once and soon enough, I caught her while spinning. My arms wrapped around her petite waist and her hands were pressed against my chest. Our eyes met for a split second before she looked down at her watch as the music ended.

"Oh shoot," she whispered, looking back at me. "I need to get home. I have to help Doctor Warren with a early surgery tomorrow morning."

I was disappointed, but tonight was worth it that I let it slide. "Ok, then."

My truck stopped in front of her house, sputtering for a quick second. I looked over to Annabeth who was raising an eyebrow towards the engine. I laughed. "Um, Beckendorf and I are still trying to fix this bad-boy."

She laughed, grabbing her shoes from the mats. "I can tell."

I walked out from my side of the truck and opened the door for her. Annabeth stepped onto the concrete and jumped a little bit, surprised the cold under her barefeet. Her heels were bothering her so she took them off. If I were a girl, I probably would have chose not to where them in the first place, but I'm not a girl. DO NOT SAY ANYTHING.

Annabeth dug through her small bag and pulled out her keys, un-locking the door. She stepped inside and turned to look at me with a smile on her face. "I had a good time. Thank you for coming to that... downer."

"Nah, it's ok. I enjoyed it," I was really talking about the party station.

She glanced inside of her house. "Hmm-mm, sure you did."

"I did. I loved meeting some of your friends, some of your co-workers, and even your enemy," I laughed. Annabeth slowly came to a smile. I raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to her in the doorway. "What's wrong?" I was now cupping her cheek with my hand.

"Nothing. I just need to remember that tomorrow I need to speak with my brother," she answered, those grey eyes staring into mine.

"Well, then do that," I said.

Annabeth shook her head and turned back into her house, my hand pulling off her cheek. She was about to close the door, but she looked behind her shoulder and said, "The dance was the best part of the night." And then the door closed with a click.

I grinned while walking towards my truck. I climbed inside, escaping the cool night and into the warmth from the heater. I took one last glance at the house and revved the engine, driving into the dark night.

**LONG CHAPTER... don't you agree?**

**Review, my wonderful fans! I do enjoy writing this story a lot. I just forgot about it since school started back again.**

**Oh, I have to share this! One night I was searching through Percy Jackson stories and I clicked on one. I began reading it and I was on the seventh chapter (I think) so I was going to favorite it and then I realized that it was my own! I was too tired to look at the title of the story. I just read the summary and clicked on it :P**

**It's not really funny, I just thought it was weird that I didn't realize that it was my own story. I must of been really tired. **

**NEWS: The sequel to Past and the Present is still in the works. I haven't had time to begin on chapter two. I want to see if the story is going to hold out for a while before it starts getting boring.**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hola Everyone! **

**I'm finally back in touch with this story since I wrote a chapter earlier. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter :) It's going to start getting good here soon.**

**AT THE TRAINING CENTER**

"Yo, Beckendorf!" I shouted as I wrapped my fingers around a piece of wire in my hand.

His head popped from underneath the plane on my right. "What's up, man?"

"Can you grab that water bottle over there?" I asked, cocking my head to the other side.

Beckendorf nodded and handed me the water bottle. I grabbed it with my free hand and let the water trickle down my throat, some of the H20 dripping on the side of my mouth. It soothed my sore throat before I finished with the wire. The sharp edge of the wire connected to the engine and began to start shooting sparks. I clasped the edge to the machine and backed up, turning on the main controller inside of the plane. The engine revved for a few seconds before returning to its normal sound. The plane was finally fixed.

There was laughter at my right side. "I can't believe we finally fixed it."

"Yeah, I know," I grinned. "Now, let's finish this bad-boy with some new good-looking tires."

Beckendorf chuckled next to me. "I hear ya, buddy!"

I rolled the new three tires over to the plane and helped him with the un-screwing of the damaged, old tires. My hands were sweating as I lifted one of the tires off the machine. Beckendorf and I finished the tires in about fifteen minutes. I checked the bolts of the plane's covering. It was all good. I leaned against the table with all the tools, a water bottle in hand.

"This feels so nice," Beckendorf said, sitting down in a chair.

I drunk some water. "What?"

"Just relaxing after you've done something tiring. I remember when I first begun flying, I was a rookie, so I had to get everying pulled out of the storage cabinets. I had to get most of the lunches. Now, here I am with one of the best pilots in the whole world and I still feel like I'm a rookie," he explained.

I laughed. "Hey, I'm sure the Captain doesn't see you like that."

"I'm not talking about the Captain, Percy," Beckendorf looked at me while taking a sip of his drink.

It took me a minute to realize what he meant, but when I did, I stared at him in awe. "Man, I'm not the best-"

"Yes, you are. Why do you think the Captain picked you to be the new commander? You're the best out of all of us. We all know that, except for you," he answered. "We all feel like rookies compare to you and the other commanders."

"Beck, you'll never be a rookie to me," I told him. "You'll always be my first companion in flying and in repairing."

Beckendorf chuckled. "I don't think Luke would be very happy about that."

"No offense to Luke, but you're a better pilot than he is. He's afraid to do things, that involves giving your life for anyone. Nico has better concentration than he does and he's not afraid to give his life for someone."

"I think little Nicky gets that from you," he patted me on the back. "He's got your blood in his veins. It may not be the exact same, since you're cousins, but he has the same attitude as you do. He won't take no for an answer when it comes to flying and saving others."

"It's just the right thing to do. I mean, the first thing you should agree on when you come into this place is that you'll give your life for anyone to win this war. I told my mom that and she was proud of me, but I can tell she was still upset and sad that I was leaving her."

Beckendorf shook his head. "I understand where she's coming from. My mom was also upset when I told her, but she understood what I wanted to do," he turned to look at me and grinned. "I'm just saying, if I were your mom, I would be really proud of you."

I smiled, grateful. "Luke may be my best friend, but you'll always be a brother to me."

"Same here, man," he said.

"I love you so much, dude," I said in a sad voice, about to cry. I acted like I was wiping tears off my cheeks. "This is such a touching scene!"

Beckendorf laughed. "Ok, Prissy, no need to get emotional."

I just laughed and placed an arm around his shoulder, like we always do. "Come on, now. This is me we're talking about. I don't get emotional. That is you, little Becky."

"I do not!" he protested.

"Sure, you don't," I said sarcastically.

The door that would hide the planes in the repairing center opened and came running in was Nico, covered in dust, mud, and dirt, probably from the training courses. He was wearing camoflauge pants and a white tee shirt, which was a bad idea. I glanced over to look at him and Nico stopped in front of the fridge, grabbing a water bottle.

"Man, the training is hard-core!" he exclaimed, pouring some of the water onto his head.

I took the bottle of his hand and used my other hand to smack him in the face. "No wasting water! That's what a shower is for."

"Ow, that hurt, Perce!" Nico glared at me, rubbing his cheek.

"It was suppose to," I smirked.

My little cousin continued to glare at me as I just stood there with a innocent grin on my face. Beckendorf was cracking up beside us, trying to contain his laughter, but it bit him on the butt. He was leaning against the table while he tried to gasp for air. Nico and I looked over at him with the same expression on our face.

"What the heck is so funny?" I asked.

Beckendorf chuckled once more. "You guys are so alike, are you sure you're not brothers?"

"We're sure," Nico answered. "My parents weren't his and his parents weren't mine."

"Ok, ok," Beck held his hands up and backed away. "I was just putting it out there."

I crossed my arms and turned to look at Nico. "What's up?"

"Oh, yeah, the Captain wanted to know if the plane was ready," he told me.

"Um, yeah, I guess. Beckendorf and I were going to take it out for a test-flight, but unless the Captain wants it now, I assume it'll be ok," I answered.

"You assume?" the Captain's voice echoed through the plane repairing center.

I looked up from my cousin to the Captain who was standing next to the door. I bit my lip, cursing myself in the head, and glancing towards Beckendorf who was rubbing his hands together, nervously. The Captain walked over to us, with his hands crossed above his chest, his toothpick in his mouth and his sunglasses pulled over his eyes.

"I didn't promote you to hear you say 'assume'," he eyed me through the dark lenses.

I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't of said that. It was the wrong word. It was suppose to be 'say'. I say it'll be ok," I held my tongue.

The Captain eyed the plane behind me. "It does look good for a plane that had a bad problem due to carelessness. Good job, Jackson and Beckendorf."

"Thank you, sir," we both said.

After the Captain left, Nico, Beckendorf, and I looked at each other with uneasiness. I really did think that Beck and I should try it out first, but I guess he doesn't that way. He wanted to take it out for flying even without checking to see if it could handle the power yet. We just fixed the engine today. It wasn't in the shape of running, but who was I to know? I just started the training of being Commander and man, all I can say about that is that it's so much harder than I expected it to be.

**LATER THAT DAY**

I was walking out of the training center with Nico and Beckendorf. My backpack was hanging on my shoulder as we trailed to my truck. I heard my name being called and I turned around to see my best friend running towards us.

"Percy!" he yelled.

I placed my backpack in the front seat and leaned against the door. "Sup?" 

"Do you think you could give me a ride to the car shop? My car's sitting in their garage and they just called me to come pick it up," Luke answered.

I shrugged, opening the door and climbing inside. "I don't know. I'm already taking Nico to his aunt's and Beckendorf and I have to be somewhere."

"Come on, dude," he argued.

"I can't," I said and pressed the button to roll my window up. He glared at me through the glass and I gave him a two-finger salute, starting my truck's engine.

After dropping Nico at his aunt's for the weekend, Beckendorf and I drove to the hostipal to pick up Silena and Annabeth for a nice barbeque. When I pulled into the hostipal's parking lot, my partner was trying to get the grease and oil stains out of his shirt. I rolled my eyes as I took the keys out of the car ignition and we walked out into the late afternoon weather.

The nurses were all sitting in the waiting room. Beckendorf went over to Silena, wrapping his arms around her and she stood up, kissing him gently. All the girls giggled, except Annabeth. Her nose was stuck in a book. I walked over to her, wrapped my arms around her chest, saying her name softly into her ear.

Annabeth escaped from her book and turned her head to look at me. Our mouths were a few centimeters apart and our eyes met each others. "Good afternoon, Commander Jackson."

"Good afternoon, Ms. Chase," I grinned, bumping my nose with hers.

There was a small sigh. "I wish I had a man like you and Silena, Annabeth."

Annabeth glanced towards the girl that said something. "Um, he's not really my man."

"Not yet, anyways," I winked at her.

She blushed softly and marked her book with a piece of paper. "Who said I was going to be yours in the first place?"

"I did," I said grinning.

"You guys are so cute!" Silena giggled. "Annabeth, you are a lucky girl!"

Annabeth smiled, standing up from the chair. "Um, thanks, I guess. You're also lucky?" She didn't know what to say, I'm guessing.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked, watching her pick up her bag from the floor.

"I am, but I don't know about them two," she pointed to where Silena and Beckendorf were talking.

I smirked. "I got this," I bit my lip and whistled through my teeth. Beckendorf groaned, covering his ears from my attention-bringer. I just smiled, proud of my actions. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, we are, Mr. Annoying," Beck growled.

I grabbed Annabeth's hand and turned her around, pulling her with me. I walked out to my truck and opened the door for my beautiful nurse. She rolled her eyes playfully as she climbed inside. I walked over to the other side and jumped in, starting the truck. Beckendorf and Silena finally came out of the hostipal. I drove to the sidewalk where they were, but they weren't paying attention. Annabeth leaned over and pressed her palm against the middle of the steering wheel. A loud noise came from my truck that made Beckendorf and Silena jump three feet into the air.

Annabeth rolled down the window and stuck her head out. "Are you guys coming or are you gonna stay there running around like bunch of chickens with their heads cut off?"

Silena glared at her friend. "That was so mean! I thought I was going to be blown up!"

"It was just a horn," I said, sticking my head out of my window.

Beckendorf shook his head. "That was so immature."

"I wouldn't talk when you're the one who talks to himself in the mirror before a date," I smirked as his facial expression turned to embarrassment.

"YOU!" Beckendorf yelled, pointing a finger at me, running towards the truck.

I rolled my window up and revved the engine. I smirked as I honked the horn this time. He covered his ears and glared at me as Silena was laughing her way over here. Annabeth opened the door for her friend and Silena slid in next to her. Beckendorf was making a face as he climbed inside and growled at me when he sat down. Annabeth was sitting next to me, and I mean, NEXT TO ME. **(AN: Ah-ah, see the reference *laughs*) **

She turned to look at me, but we were so close that her forehead was now resting on mine. Her eyes stared into mine; grey to green. I wanted to lean forward, but I wasn't going to that with Beckendorf and Silena right here. Annabeth held our gaze for a few more seconds before pulling away and looking down, suddenly interested at her hands.

"You guys ready?" I asked, my voice kind of higher than it usually was.

Silena giggled. "Sure."

Beckendorf put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes."

"I am," Annabeth agreed.

"Ok, then," I started the ignition up again and we drove out of the hostipal parking lot towards the restaurant that Beckendorf and I reserved.

**OK, things will be starting to happen in the next chapter and the next, and the next... you get the picture :) And I mean things WILL happen! **

**I got the Son of Neptune book and I'm like on page 100 and something and it's really good so far! I just hope Percy is still the same by the end of the book. **

**You know the drill; you may review or you may not. I just hoped you enjoyed the chapter.**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello my wonderful fans!**

**I'm sorry you had to wait this long to get this chapter or for me to write at all, I've just been busy the last month or so with Christmas, New Years, going back to school, church, and other personal things I had to do. **

**But now I'M BACK! **

**Now, let's get down to business. Things will begin to happen in this chapter and so on, and so on... you get the picture :) Enjoy!**

Beckendorf sighed and leaned back into his chair, taking a drink from his cup. Silena sat next to him, talking with Annabeth who was sitting next to me. The girls started to burst out laughing, but quickly covered their mouths.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Yeah, we would like to be in the conversation," Beckendorf wrapped an arm around Silena's

shoulders.

"They're not gonna let us, dude. We're not special enough," I smirked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We were talking about a patient that came in today."

"Yeah, and that's all your getting!" Silena stuck her tongue out.

I laughed, glancing over at Annabeth's plate. I stole a fry, quickly devouring it before she noticed. She turned around with a look on her face.

I tried to hide my grin, but failed. "I'm sorry. It was sitting there all alone!"

Beckendorf patted me on the shoulder, standing up. "Nice save. Ok, we're gonna go to the dance club across the street. You guys in?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I rather not. I hate dancing and I'm not really good at it."

"Yeah, no thanks, man. Maybe next time," I said.

He gave me the two-finger salute, walking out talking with his girlfriend. Annabeth and I sat in silence, thanking our waitress after grabbing our empty plates. She was checking her phone as I tapped my fingers impatiently on the table. I wanted to do something with her. Something that would knock her socks off. The gears started clicking in my head and I turned around in my seat, looking at her. Annabeth glanced over at me.

"Do you like rooftops?" I asked, a grin on my face.

_**LINNNEEEBREAAAKKK**_

I grabbed her hand, helping her get her footing. She let go of my hand and grasped the handles, pulling herself up onto the concrete. Annabeth gasped, taking in the view. The stars glinted in the dark sky with the moon taking the place of the sun. I walked over to where the chairs were sitting and sat down in one of them. She hestitated before sitting down.

"I like coming to this place to think, to clear my head," I told her.

Annabeth smiled at the sky. "It's so beautiful. I wish I had a place like this."

"You can use it if you like. I don't care. Just don't tell anyone else. You have to be a genius to find this place," I chuckled.

She laughed. "Well, it is insanely beautiful. You can see all the stars. I've never seen these many stars in my entire life."

"Yeah. I found this place when I first moved here."

"You're not from here?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. I lived in a small apartment in Manhattan with my mom for the longest time. When I decided to become a pilot, I moved here to be with the real deal. Years of training just wasn't going to be lost. My mom was sad that I was leaving her, but I write her a lot. It's better than nothing," I answered. I looked over at the beautiful girl next to me. "What about you? Are you from here?"

"No. I lived in California with my dad, my step-mom, my three brothers," Annabeth laughed. "It was kind of crazy house-hold. Bobby and Matthew are the youngest and they're twins. Malcolm is my older brother by a few years."

I looked down at the ground for a minute then looked back at her. "You said, your step-mom? What happened to your real mom?"

I must have hit a senstitive spot because I saw a few tears drop from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"N-no, it's ok," Annabeth insisted. She sniffled and wiped her hand. "I'm such a wuss."

"No, you're not. It's ok to cry."

She glanced over at me and gave me a small smile. "My mom died while giving birth to me. My dad didn't know how to handle it. Every day to have look at me and see her. Malcolm was more like him, but I had more of my mom's genes than his. He married my step-mom, had the twins, and gave them more attention. When I was about sixteen, he yelled at me, telling me that it was my fault that my mom died."

I was shocked for two reasons. One, WHO THE HECK would do that to their daughter? Tell them that it's their fault that their wife died? And two, that she trusted me enough to tell me this. It seemed really personal, like she only told a few people.

"I'm really sorry. He shouldn't have told you that," I didn't know what to say.

Annabeth shrugged. "Malcolm cheered me up. He took me out to dinner and stayed up all night with me, just in case I tried to sneak off or run away or something like that."

An awkward silence came between us. I licked my dry lips, realizing that there was a radio sitting next to the chair. I turned it on and music softly played. I walked over to her and grabbed her hand, without even asking her. She tried to stop me as I pulled her out into the middle of the rooftop.

I put a hand on her waist and held my other hand out. Annabeth slid her hand in mine.

"I don't dance," she tried to protest.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up and just dance."

She laughed and moved with the music.

"Can I ask you something?" Annabeth asked. "And be honest with me?" I nodded. Her eyes met mine. "How come you were attracted to me? Why not any other nurse?"

I sighed and shook my head. "So many reasons. You're beautiful, smart, funny, sarcastic, nice, has one of the best smiles I've ever seen, and... so many other reasons."

"But there are so many other nurses you could have chosen from. Why me?" she asked.

"I don't know," I answered.

Annabeth looked down at the ground. "That's not an answer. Why me out of all these nurses that have so much more than I can give you?"

"I don't want them. I want you," I said.

She met my eyes again. Her hand started to slide out of mine and she began to walk away. I can't let her go. I ran over and grabbed her hand, turning her around.

"Annabeth!"

"What?" she yelled. "You can't even give me a straight answer to why you even like me! Or to why you even asked me out! Is it some kind of game you pilots like to play?"

"No!"

"Then why?" Annabeth insisted.

"Because when I saw you, I knew I didn't want to be with anyone else but you!" I shouted. She looked at me with an incredulous expression. I licked my lips and the words just came out of my mouth. "Because when I laid my eyes on you, I knew there was no one I could possibly ever be with besides you."

Her grey eyes locked with mine. I couldn't see if she was honored, shocked, or hurt. Annabeth wasn't the kind of girl who easily didn't let her feelings be exposed. I could learn that by just being with her a few times. She glanced at the ground, tugging a piece of hair behind her ear.

I bit my lip and grabbed her face with my hands. Her eyes met mine again as I pressed my forehead against hers. Her breath blew against my face. "I don't ever want to lose you."

She smiled after a while. "Before I agree on us beginning a relationship, there's one thing I have to tell you."

"What?" I asked, starting to grin.

"That I'm never, ever, going to make things easy on you, Perseus Jackson," Annabeth said.

I smiled. "I'm okay with that as long as I have you."

I placed my hand on the side of her face; pressing my palm against her cheek. Her stormy grey eyes locked with mine and I rested my forehead on hers. Her eyes closed as she licked her lips, then opened them again, making me think she was even more beautiful than I could ever imagine.

**This chapter is done, but no, no, no, the story is not over yet.**

**First things first, how was your Christmas and New Years? Get any good gifts? **

**Second, I'm sorry if Percy or Annabeth was OOC in this chapter, but the story is an AU and now you know why Annabeth has a soft relationship with her dad. **

**And third, I should be updating **_**The Stranger Within**_** and **_**Green Eyes **_**by the end of the week or beginning of next week, somewhere in between.**

**Ok, since that's all done... I bid you good-bye :)**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


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